Dirty Movie Club: Joe Versus the Volcano

[Strangelet]

The Movie
It was really really hard to pick a movie. After some thought I went with Joe Versus the Volcano. It came out in 1990 and stars tom hanks, meg ryan, and a bunch of other people.

The Synopsis
Yes its a romantic comedy starring tom hanks and meg ryan. it also happens to play on neitszchian existentialism, french new wave cinema, and fritz lang. or maybe not.


Why I Chose it
I was all set to drop the Igmar Bergman's Seventh Seal bomb or Truffaut's Jules And Jim or Easy Rider or some other movie that everyone agrees is pure genius but I figure the discussion that would follow would more or less involve everyone saying "wow! pure genius! ". Not that this wouldn't be fun. God knows I love those movies and would talk anyone's ear off about them.

No, this movie will definitely make for interesting discussion because half of y'all will love it :), and half of y'all will want to kill me for your wasted two hours of life. :(


hopefully more of the former, not so many of the latter

[GreenPea]

Is saw this movie already, prolly need to rewatch it to refresh my memory. I remember it being okay... Glad you didn't chose The Seventh Seal as I own that one, you'll be making it too easy. :p

[matt]

this was on over christmas here - it's one of those films that i've definitely seen bits of but can't actually remember if i've ever watched the whole thing.

will definitely try & check it out.

and nice one for choosing an interesting film that probably will divide opinon rather than one everyone slavers over... :)

[ultradave]

I love this movie. Seen many moons ago and I also own the DVD. Meg Ryan plays 3 roles in this movie which is pretty cool - a brunette, a red head, and a blonde...


now playing: Waiting In Vain (Ambient Dub) - Bob Marley

[Tom]

Excellent choice. I'll rent this tonight and post thoughts over the weekend :)

[dubman]

yeah, i'll rent it tonight.
i need to get "rules of attraction" out of my head. movies based on bret easton ellis books, however much i like them, tend to deaden the nerves and make you feel ugly about an assortment of things.

[gambit]

If I remember correctly, I saw this a long time ago at the drive-in with my parents. Anyway, I've moved it to the top of my Netflix queue. Thoughts will probably come next week.

[Malt Refund]

Brain Cloud!

[jOHN rODRIGUEZ]

SHIT I forgot! How long to we get before we have to turn in our thoughts?

I'm off work & school tomorrow (THANK GOD, cuz if anyone were to say 'Happy Valentines Day!', I'd probably respond with "Suck Balls") and should have time to rent it.

[chuck]

(THANK GOD, cuz if anyone were to say 'Happy Valentines Day!', I'd probably respond with "Suck Balls") and should have time to rent it.

happy hallmark day to you too.

i can't find the movie - will have to try the "alternative" video store across town on the weekend.

can't find a torrent of it either - even though that's not allowed - just trying to do my bit.

no netflix down here either - before you all shoot at me!

[b.miller]

well... my netflix is scheduled to come in Saturday... it's taken a bit longer than the ideal... i guess this is the downside of never physically going and renting movies anymore.

from the general lack of activity on this thread I'd guess it's a similar story for the rest of us?

[Tom]

Yeah, having a hard time tracking it down too. I will get it though.

[gambit]

Wow, I'm really the first one to have watched it? I got it yesterday from the Netflix and just got done watching it. I'm not sure where we want to head with the conversation, so I'll just go with my initial reaction.

Damn, this movie is stylized. I know I've seen this before oh so long ago because I remember the crooked road pattern that we see four times throughout the movie (the entrance to Joe's work, the rip in the wall of Joe's apartment, the lightning bolt that rips the ship apart, and the path up to the volcano). Just about everything is over-the-top, comical, and melodramatic. Meg Ryan pulled out three distinct personalities at once, each absurd in its own way, and Abe Vigoda as the chief of the orange soda can-wearing Pacific Island tribe? Gold! I was almost going to get serious and question how Joe and Patricia could possibly fall in love so quickly (and Joe and the red-head Meg Ryan, even though that was one-sided), but this movie is clearly not for the serious minded. Even the limo driver was great.

[GreenPea]

I agree with gambit. Specially the whole begining including Joe's appartment and Joe's work is straight out of a comic book, the parking lot of the factory with all the mud and all, is the most absurd thing I've ever seen in any movie that is not based in a comic book. One thing that I found ironic is how many people die in the movie only for the sake that those two can fulfill their romantic destiny. A whole ship crew and a whole island population dies so that they can live happily ever after. ;)

[Tom]

I finally tracked down a copy of this. Should have my thoughts up sometime this week :)

[viddy]

Been trying to rent this for over a week now. My blockbuster finally had it last night, but when they opened the case to check me out, the actual DVD disc was missing. GRRRRRRR. This shouldn't be so difficult!

[b.miller]

I really like this movie. I remember when it came out it completely bombed... actually it was the last bomb before Tom Hanks' run of like 15 mega-hits and i read this interview with him once where someone remarked on that and he said "yeah but why didn't they come to Joe Versus the Volcano?"

So in fantasy scenarios where I find myself with 15 minutes of face time with Tom Hanks, The two movies I'd want to talk to him about are That Thing You Do and this.

The first half hour of this movie stands as timeless classic in my opinion. All the stuff with the office job, especially Dan Hedaya. All the stuff and especially Hanks' quitting speech is awesome.

In fact there's a few lines from this movie that've successfully managed to wiggle their way into my toolbox of everyday phrases: "I'm not arguing that with you" and "I have no response to that."

I really dig on the expressionistic aspects; the clearly fairy tale aspects. I like that it's not reality... and I suppose that forgives the happily ever after ending but I suspect, with a few tonal changes and a more realistic ending, that there's a great tragedy tale here (...or you can just watch Ikiru). BUT, part of the reason why I like it is because it's light and funny with just hints of darkness rather than the other way around so... it is what it is.

I'm also surprised to see recognisable faces in really small parts... Not only Ossie Davis as the (perfectly portrayed) chauffer but also Nathan Lane as a tribal dude, Amanda Plummer as a sailor, and Carol Kane as the hairstylist. They, like the small thematic or stylistic touches that sparkle throughout the film give it a real sense of design for me. This is really a well put-together piece of filmmaking. i still feel it's unjustly dismissed.

But... yeah the ending kind of strains me. I really love all the lost at sea part... the weird typhoon with the green lighting, all that stuff reminds me of a less crack-adled Cabin Boy... but once they get to the island it wears pretty thin. Especially when they're up on the volcano and Meg Ryan insists on jumping with him. I just don't buy any of that. To me, he should've jumped and died and become legend to the (non orange soda-loving) tribe... but again, it is what it is.

Glad to see this again though... Love this movie.

[grady]

Finally got around to transcribing my notes on the film.

Overall, I really enjoyed the first half of the film, esp. the work scenes of Joe's life and the change that occurs. I loved the scenes with Ossie Davies helping Joe shape his new perspective on life and giving him a subtle push/jab in the right direction.

Like other's before me have stated, once the film reaches the point of the island and the volcanic conclusion, it loses some of the gloss and glow that it had going for it. But I don't really see a better way to wrap things up.

On a side note, I'd recently seen some of Castaway on a cable channel a week ago and this was a kind of amusing glimpse into the Hanks that would come later.

Now onto the Sweet Smell of Success, which I'm still waiting on.

[kid cue]

i finally finished watching this today. it took about 4 separate viewings because i kept falling asleep (not because i was bored, but because i've only been able to put it on at really late hours).

i really really liked it -- the first half hour was like Brazil meets Ikiru meets Sleepless In Seattle (or some other Tom Hanks romantic comedy). and i was impressed that the film kept up its wry/meta tone to the very end. it was the only thing that made the big mortality theme convincing, especially given the genre it was twisting up.

i loved the implications of the three Meg Ryans, as if there was nothing necessarily special about the blonde one--Joe could've easily fallen in love with someone else, if only he'd opened his eyes.

finally, i actually thought the island sequence clinched the preceding hour or so. when it came it was suddenly hurtling towards the end of the film, and even though we'd been expecting these scenes all along, they felt dreamlike, like an expressionistic portrayal of the shortness of life. i loved that the camera never dwelled on either the island weirdos or the burgenoning love b/n those two. it kept the focus on Joe's impending 'death' and made one question whether it (what we saw of his life & relationships in the film so far) had all been worth it.

oh, and i thought the part with the giant moon was pretty moving. anyway, thanks for the rec, what a strange & wonderful film. :)

[jOHN rODRIGUEZ]

I have not been able to get a copy of ANY of the three up for viewing.

I am in hell.

Did you guys set this up like this on purpose? ;>)

[patrick]

i watched this one this past weekend, and like most others liked it...

i loved the start with the whole hating work thing. the visuals and whole gag with the flouresent lights are something most can relate to in terms of how we actually percieve work sometimes i bet. also get a new humurous take on living your life like you are going to die the next day...

then the end was super cheesy and i got a bit bored then, but still watchable because of the good parts (tom hanks on the raft the first time around )

[Tom]

I saw this a while ago now but forgot to post loller.

I actually enjoyed this a lot more than I thought I would. I dunno. I think it's meg ryan. The thought of watching a movie with her in it makes me groan, but once I'm watching, I kinda like her.

I agree with those saying the first half of the film was great. I could have watched more of the same for the duration of the film quite happily.

[grady]

The director of this film had only made one film, Joe v the Volcano. Now he's getting ready to start production on another film, his first in 15 years.

link (http://www.variety.com/article/VR1117963419.html?categoryid=13&cs=1)

[Rog]

i enjoyed it.......

[Aaron Contreras]

Dear God, whose name I do not know - thank you for my life. I forgot how BIG... thank you. Thank you for my life.

Great fucking movie.